South Korean president likely to visit Japan in December

Nov 22, 2010, 6:30 GMT

Tokyo - South Korean President Lee Myung Bak hopes to meet Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan in Kyoto next month to receive some cultural artifacts taken from the peninsula during Japan's colonial rule, a news report said Monday.

Tokyo and Seoul are arranging a meeting between the two leaders in the ancient Japanese city, Kyodo News reported, citing unnamed government sources.

On the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Yokohama last week, the two nations signed an agreement to return more than 1,200 volumes of Korean archives taken by Japan during its 1910-45 colonial rule.

On August 10, Kan apologized for the colonial rule and pledged to repatriate the cultural items ahead of the 100th anniversary of Japan's annexation of the peninsula on August 29.

These include royal records of the Joseon Dynasty, currently kept by the Japan's Imperial Household Agency.

But it is not certain whether the transfer of such items can take place yet, as the accord will come into effect after both countries' parliaments ratify it, Kyodo cited the sources as saying.

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